Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-28
/ THE READING STRIKE.
Conflicting Accounts Regarding Its Ac-
tual Condition.
Qoneral Manager Mcleod Denies any
Ha Agreement to Arbitrate,
Ard SAYS the men DISCHARGED Will Not
Be Taken Back.
The Locomotive Engineers Opposing the
knights of Labor.
CONSULTATIONS Existing that May Result
in an Extended Strike.

Complications Existing that May Result
in an Extended Strike.
+ PHILADELPHIA, December 27.-The execu-
tive committee of the Reading Railroad
employees assembly early this morning,
after secret session which lasted several
heurs, decided to lift the great strike on
IL, Reading SYSTEM pending arbitration
wis-. the company. Tho five crews over
ws.,m the trouble originated are to be sup
ported in the meantime by financial aid
from the employees. This decision was
reached after conference with Superin-
tsndent Sweigard at his Office last night.
Tho committee then returned to their
meeting place in Port Richmond and after
several hours discussion decided to submit
their case to arbitration. In the after.
boon q motion had been carried to
PROPOSE ARBITRATION
to the officials. Mr.. Sweigard met the COM
E,ittes graciously and assured them that
such plan would be entirely agreeable to
Sne railroad. There are fourteen members
oi the committee representing all sections
Of the road. The decision OF the Knights in
Reading yesterday not to strike is sup
uosed to have had some influence upon the
action OF the board. All trains are moving
AN the ReaGling railrood this morning, and
80 further trouble is anticipated. Nearly
all the employees
s5 REPORTED FOR DUTY
promptly at seven o'clock at the various
,Aepots and freight yards, as we'll as those
employed 1t the coal warves at Port Rich
.mond. The work OF moving coal trains
and transferring from cars to vessels at the
wharf was at once begun and there was
very little evidence OF the great strike,
wh hich for the past few days has threatened
to paralyze the business of the entire Read
ing Railroad system. Quite q number OF
employees in various branches failed to re-
port, but the officials state that these have
perhaps been celebrating Christmas too
enthusiastically and their places will be
kept open for them for few days.
DENIAL FROM THE MANAGER.
r General Manager Mcleod, of the Phila-
delphia & Reading Railroad Company, this
afternoon said the report that the Reading
Company had agreed to arpitrate is abso-
lutely false. There is nothing to discuss,
much less arbitrate. The men discharged
were not, and will not be taken back. New
men employed when the old ones went out
will not be discharged to make room for
the old ones, and all the latter have been
notified that il they desire to retain their
places they must return to work immedi-
ately and Internationally, and all have re-
turned under that order so far as places
we're left for them. Besides the leaders at
Port Richmond who brought on the strike
have been discharged and will not be al
lowed again in the company's service.
A DEFl TO THE KNIGHTS.
A CIRCULAR was issued from the General
Office OF the Reading Company this after
noon addressed to General Manager Nc
Leod, setting forth that the strike has de-
veloped the fact that many old and faith
full employees had been compelled hy
others to join the organization known as
the knights of Labor. The circular further
says: nWhife the Reading Railroad Com
pany has never objected to its employees
voluntarily connecting themselves with
apy labor organization they may see fit to
ioin, I will protect them at any cost from
being forced into any Union where their
own wish would be to remain free, and an
employe guilty of using any undue or i'm
proper influence to force men to join any
society against their free-will will, upon
proof furnished, be instantly dismissed
from the service and never allowed to re-
turn to it,"
THE BROTHERHOOD AND THE KNIGHTS.
A special from Reading says the strike
has developed the existence Of an unpleas'
ant sentiment between the Knights OF La
Dor and the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers. The latter, it is reliably stated
offered to furnish all the men that might
be needed to take out trains. There are
175 engineers in this city and vicinity, all
Brotherhood men, who were discharged by
the former president of the Reading Rail
road, Franklin B. Gowan. Their places
were taken by non-union men
who now belong to the Knights
of Labor. The latter were then
known as ''scabs" and for long time there
was a bitter feeling in the community
against them, especially as the riots during
the strike OF 1877, in this city resulted II
an attack by the Fourth Regiment, in which
about a dozen men were killed and seventy
| five or eighty wounded. The families which
I suffered and their sympathizers have never
forgotten the men who took the places o.
the Brotherhood Engineers. All the engineers
employed on the Reading Railroad prior to
the trouble OF 1877 are being heard from
| They desire to return to their first love
and were anxious for revenge.
| STILL STRIKING AT sHAMoKIN.
SHAMoK1N, Pa, December 27.-The Read
ing strikers at this point refused to return
to work to-day because the company
would not re-emyloy Dispatcher Huntley
master workman OF an assembly, ant
several labcrers on the coal docks who
have been discharged. 1t is not possible tt
move coal or local freight traffic unde
present circumstances, and therefore th'
collieries will not be worked tomorrow
Considerable i'll feeling is manifested.
GETTING THEIR REVENGE.
READING, Pa, December 27.-So prompt!
were the coal cars taken on to Port Rich
mond and un!oaded that tonight the frs
empty coal trains passed through Reading
bound for the coal regions. The most ex
citing scenes of the strike were witnessed
this afternoon, when about twenty-five o
the old Brotherhood of Engineers, wht
were Obliged to leave the company's emplo.
in 1877, we're given engines and perma
nent positions. They took the placer
of the engineers who either failed to repor
because they live too far away, or had re
fused to take their engines and wer
premptoriIy discharged. Every man wht
had during the past week refused to ODE!
orders, or had left his post because o
Knights of Labor orders, were refused EN-
ployment. There were quite large nun numoe e
Get back we're pitiful to behold. Non-unio1
men ready to take the strikers places tille'
Reading to-day from the neighboring town
by hundreds.
LOCKED OUT.
porrevr1E Pa. December 27.-Fron